Antitumor Benefits of Antiviral Immunity: An Underappreciated Aspect of Oncolytic Virotherapies

Publication date: Available online 20 December 2017
Source:Trends in Immunology
Author(s): Shashi Gujar, Jonathan G. Pol, Youra Kim, Patrick W. Lee, Guido Kroemer
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) represent a new class of cancer immunotherapeutics. Administration of OVs to cancer-bearing hosts induces two distinct immunities: antiviral and antitumor. While antitumor immunity is beneficial, antiviral immune responses are often considered detrimental for the efficacy of OV-based therapy. The existing dogma postulates that anti-OV immune responses restrict viral replication and spread, and thus reduce direct OV-mediated killing of cancer cells. Accordingly, a myriad of therapeutic strategies aimed at mitigating anti-OV immune responses is presently being tested. Here, we advocate that OV-induced antiviral immune responses hold intrinsic anticancer benefits and are essential for establishing clinically desired antitumor immunity. Thus, to achieve the optimal efficacy of OV-based cancer immunotherapies, strategic management of anti-OV immune responses is of critical importance.



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